OK, the house is not yet rented, we have not finished our jobs, not thought about packing ourselves or the house, have not figured out how we're going to teach our kids math and so much more remains undone. Yet, on January 3, we will be leaving our comfortable life and home in Santa Monica for 6.5 months on the road. We will be traveling and volunteering in each of Tanzania, Southeast Asia and Israel. For a full itinerary see our web site. Maya (age 13) and Emma (age 9) continue to be annoyed at the prospect of traveling and volunteering. However, we seem to be breaking their resolve as Melissa and I are starting to see some attitude changes. Either they will look back at this experience with amazement, or they will hate us. We're hoping for the best.
As I think about this trip, I'm unable to fully assess my motivations. On the one hand, I want to see the world with my family and engage in the world in a way that the typical two week vacation does not permit. On the other hand, maybe I just needed a change of scenery. Maybe this is in fact a mid-life crisis of sorts, channeled in a reasonably positive way. Who knows? Maybe it doesn't matter.
